Adopted by Taylor Swift

Chapter 39: Album Promo

August 15, 2019
Taylor's Perspective

Today is basically one of my few days that I have remaining until 'Lover' is released and I have to do album promotion. Fortunately, for this album promotion I'm able to bring Harry, Elijah, and Astrid with me as I travel and do interviews and what not.
That alone is going to make everything feel different.

Mornings like this used to feel frantic - alarms, emails, last minute calls, and a constant feeling like I was already behind before the day even started. But this morning at the Tribeca duplex is quieter. The city hums outside the windows, distant and steady, while inside the apartment feels calm in a way I don't take for granted.

I watch Elijah as he checks his phone, probably mid-text with a friend back in London, while Astrid is curled up in the armchair with a book, her brow furrowed in concentration. They're at that age where they have their own opinions and their own lives, yet they still look to us when things get loud.

"You two ready for this?" I ask, gesturing toward the stack of itineraries on the counter. "It's going to be a lot of flights and a lot of 'Mom, can we go back to the hotel?'"
Elijah looks up, giving me a playful roll of his eyes.
"Please. I've already mapped out the best record stores in every city we're hitting. I'm basically your scout."
"And I'm just here for the French pastries," Astrid adds without looking up from her page, though a small smile plays on her lips.

"Plus, someone has to make sure Harry doesn't lose his passport again."
Harry feigns offense, clutching his chest. "That was one time! And I knew exactly where it was. It was just... misplaced in time and space."

I laugh, feeling a genuine sense of relief. At ten, they're becoming these incredible little people-smart, witty, and surprisingly grounded despite the circus that surrounds us. Having them with me doesn't feel like an added responsibility this time; it feels like having a support system.

When I was their age, I was daydreaming about Nashville and writing poems in the back of my notebooks. Now, they're about to watch their mom release an album that's essentially a love letter to the life we've built.
"Alright, scouts," I say, pulling them both into a quick, somewhat resisted side-hug. "Finish your breakfast. We've got a world to see."

Elijah immediately groans. "Mom, you say things like that and then we spend six hours in airports."
"I say inspiring things," I correct.
"No," Astrid says, turning a page in her book. "You say movie-trailer things."

Harry nearly chokes on his coffee laughing. I narrow my eyes at both of them.
"I'd just like everyone to know I am being bullied in my own home."
"Our home," Elijah corrects while grabbing another piece of toast.
I point at him dramatically. "See? This. This is what happens when your children become sarcastic."

Harry grins from across the kitchen island. "They learned from somebody."

"Absolutely not."

The thing is-I say it with complete confidence while knowing it's completely untrue. Because Elijah has somehow inherited my tendency to plan everything down to ridiculous detail. Astrid inherited my ability to observe everything and quietly save commentary until the perfect moment.

And Harry...

Harry has contributed heavily to the sarcasm situation.

The car arrives downstairs twenty minutes later. The city outside is alive in that very New York way-horns, people crossing streets like traffic laws are suggestions, bits of conversations floating past open windows. Astrid sits beside me in the backseat, still reading. Elijah has headphones around his neck while showing Harry a list on his phone.